


After Hours

by ThePartyAndTheAfterParty



Series: Trilogy [1]
Category: Divergent (Movies), Divergent - All Media Types, Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: Angst and Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hostage Situations, Possessive Eric, Protectiveness, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:00:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24651955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePartyAndTheAfterParty/pseuds/ThePartyAndTheAfterParty
Summary: Eric's plan to charm the new leader in training is torn to shreds when a gang of factionless rebels storm the Dauntless compound. Now he and his team of men must work against the clock to find her and bring her home alive.
Relationships: Eric (Divergent)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Trilogy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782625
Kudos: 8





	After Hours

A platoon of soldiers formed themselves attentively around Max, each one armed and apt, patiently awaiting the dauntless leader's next order. They were seeking retribution, as a mere two days prior, the factionless were able to infiltrate the compound; luckily never making it past the main hangar. But it seemed as though that was the plan all along, being as it took the rebels no more than 15 minutes to loot and load their vehicles. 

Casualties were high, not to mention the loss of supplies and munitions. But the main cataclysm of the night was Andreina Bennett—the young Dauntless leader in training, who happened to be overseeing a routine inventory check when the horde of factionless came sprawling through the gates. She was fast to react but grossly outnumbered as a group of factionless men slung her into the back of a truck, using her presence to shield themselves from the oncoming gunfire as they stocked up on supplies.

"We were able to pick up a signal no more than thirty minutes ago from her com device, in a building on West 18th street, South of the Factionless sector," said Max, his voice dripping with determination, "we are unsure what it is we're dealing with here. We've had no attempted communication from the factionless rebels, _nor_ do we know if Andy is alive. Regardless, We will be treating this as if it were a hostage situation... Do whatever you must do to get her out." A firm _Yes, Sir_ echoed throughout the space, accompanied by the familiar metallic click of multiple gun chambers. "Eric, you're with me."

Eric hadn't uttered a single word to Andreina outside of her initiation training, but during, he had made it his sole purpose to break her. He made that decision from the moment he first saw her, stood there on the roof, picking nervously at the hemline on her honey-coloured dress. He soon realised, however, that no matter how much he taunted her, or how much he maltreated her, she only fought harder; never shrinking away or succumbing to his nasty ways. He found himself captivated by her and had spent the past week—in his own way—trying to redeem himself for his repugnant behaviour. But to no surprise, and much to his irritation, she wasn't remotely interested in anything he had to say.

Climbing into the passenger's seat, Eric slung his rifle onto his back, firmly grasping the overhead handle as the jeep rumbled along the gravel, "Do you think she's alive?"

"I can't be sure," replied Max, his voice devastatingly low, "she's a smart girl. She may have been able to buy herself some time."

Although in his mind, Eric was expecting the worst, he kept his face unnaturally vague as he fitted his earpiece inside his ear, "I'd expect nothing less."

Eric's comment didn't go unnoticed by Max as all five jeeps shut off their headlights, proceeding to drive slowly until coming to a quiet halt at the rendezvous location. Keeping the silence, they made their way across to an abandoned medical centre, communicating with hand signals and assembling into smaller groups to scour the area.

It was almost pitch black inside, but using artificial light of any sort was out of the question, as it would blow their cover in an instant. Eric was forced to rely solely on his senses, and the subtle beams of moonlight randomly dotted around the floor. He cocked his head, straining his hearing until picking up a cluster of faint voices at the end of the hall, then seconds later, his earpiece crackled to life, "We have movement. Eastside, ground floor."

Holding two fingers up, he signalled for his comrades to move; they inched forward, somewhat resembling the way a wild animal would stalk its prey, then coming to a halt, they noticed the faint slither of light seeping out from the gap beneath the door. All six men readied their weapons and in the blink of an eye, Eric's boot connected with the door, blowing the flimsy slab of wood straight off its hinges. Suddenly caught off guard, the small gang of factionless shot to their feet; some drawing their guns, some ducking down low. There was instant gunfire, followed by sheer yelling and grunting as body's slumped to the floor in quick succession. 

The whole scene was over in a matter of seconds, and as a veil of gun smoke and silence fell overhead, Max's authoritative voice rang through everyone's earpiece, "Coulter, do you copy?"

"Max. No casualties on our side; there was maybe ten, twelve of them. All terminated."

"And Andy?"

There was a short silence as Eric glanced around the room, pausing as he noticed a second door. There were already a few of his men testing the handle until one of them, Jaxon, kicked the door a few times, eventually cracking the lock. "Jesus," he breathed, turning to Eric with pure horror written all over his face. 

A feeling of dread washed over Eric, his eyes wild as he stalked toward the darkroom. He came to an abrupt halt in the doorway, his insides turning at the sight of Andy. Her frail form was in the centre of the room, her breathing coming in quick heavy pants of air as the light trickled in from the doorway, glistening against the metal cuffs strung over a low pipe on the ceiling. She was on her tip-toes, her feet barely brushing the floor as she struggled to hold herself up, and her head was hanging forward slightly as if she weren't entirely conscious. There was both dried and fresh blood trickling down her left arm, and a large tear running right through the centre of her top, exposing a few cuts and bruises on her rib cage.

Blind rage coursed its way through Eric's body as he willed himself to remain calm. Then cautiously making his way across to her trembling form, he watched her flinch the moment his boots entered her line of sight. She lifted her head as if it took every ounce of energy left in her body and locked her gaze with his, the incredible sense of relief causing her eyes to screw shut before allowing the tears to fall freely. At that exact moment, she didn't care that Eric was watching her, or how cowardly she looked; she was safe, and she was going home, and that's all that mattered.

She snivelled into the cloth in her mouth, searching Eric's eyes through her tears as he took a step closer. Slowly, he reached past her head to untie the knot at the nape of her neck, and pull the gag away. He felt a rush of anger in the pit of his stomach at the small gash on her bottom lip.

"Eric—" she whimpered, her voice so fragile as it cracked, it twisted Eric's insides.

"You're okay," he murmured, his voice surprisingly gentle. He pulled a hunting knife out from his jacket, forcing it into one of the metal links and twisting it enough to sever the cuffs. He wrapped an arm around her waist, catching her as she fell into him; she whimpered in agony, feeling a mix of pain from the burning muscles in her arms, and the bruises on her ribs, to the immense thumping in her head. Eric froze, cradling her against him for a moment, willing himself to be more careful. Then guiding her limp arms around his neck, he scooped her up, turning to one of his men in the process.

"Get a jeep ready," he sneered.

As soon as they began to move, she curled into Eric's chest, burying her face into the front of his shoulder, and as the numbness subsided from her arms, she clung to his jacket as if her life depended on it. Eric peered down at her, speaking hushed words as he climbed into the back of the jeep; he kept her body cradled against his, gently brushing a few hairs away from her face. 

She was petrified, she hadn't eaten in days, and the men who had taken her had left her shackled to the same spot from the second she arrived. A few of them would come in every so often to torment and deride her, but thankfully, not one of them had taken it further. The mere thought of what had gone on in the past 48 hours inside that room had Eric's stomach clenching in disgust.

"They're gone, Andy," he murmured.

Eric could still feel her small frame shaking against his, and the rage flowing through every inch of his being was unprecedented. He didn't even care about the strange looks he had gotten from his men when he flat out refused to let Jaxon carry her, snapping at him to piss off while tightening his hold on Andy. The second he had seen her, beaten and vulnerable, he had wanted to tear the place to shreds. But his instincts prevented him, forcing him to focus solely on getting her out. 

It didn't take long for the many hours of unrest to catch up with Andy as she quickly found herself drifting into oblivion in Eric's arms. The way his fingers stroked lightly through her scalp, and the familiar scent of his spiced cologne comforted her so much so, her lashes began to flutter, and her tired eyes eventually closed.

When they arrived back at the compound, they were greeted by a team of medical staff before Eric hesitantly passed her on to a male nurse who whisked her off to the infirmary. He spent the rest of the night in his loft, laying wide awake as his thoughts ran circles inside his head. The way she had looked at him, how her light brown eyes had glistened with such raw tenderness, had crushed every sense of doubt he had when it came to his chances of winning her over, and he knew now, deep down, nothing would get in his way.

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a one-shot, but I'm making it into a three-part mini-series!


End file.
